Wondering how Apple has bought down the price of the iPhone? Anyone remember the first-generation iPod, which shipped with its own power adaptor?
Announced on October 23, 2001. Jobs announced the first-generation iPod put "1,000 songs in your pocket," Apple charged $399 for the device. Over time, Apple whittled away the cost by sourcing lower-cost components and by removing things like the dock and power adaptor from the retail product, making these available as optional extras.
Now the company is doing the same thing again as it makes its iPhone more widely accessible at $199, subsidised by carriers. In order to reduce costs while still delivering a cutting edge device, the company has moved to a plastic back (a widely reported feature) and once again taken something out of the box: unlike the first-gen device, the iPhone 3G ships without a dock. You'll have to buy that separately at a cost of $49, though you don't require the dock in order to sync your phone.
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I really dislike how cheap
I really dislike how cheap they get with this stuff. Apple products are supposed to be the highest luxury, and everything is just supposed to work and be aesthetically pleasing. No dock? 50 dollars? They want my phone, out of the box, to sit on some table attached to a wire?
Please. Come on guys.
frustrating!!
Apple can't win.. for the strangest reasons!!
dude.. i don't understand your problem!! if you are upset that the iPhone is selling without a dock then go and buy the dock (it will still work out cheaper for u if apple had it bundled together and selling it for $399). At least Apple is giving the option to save ‘a lot’ money for those who don’t mind having their iPhone sitting on some table attached to a wire.
whatever
you're a snob. if you must feel special, go buy a BMW and pleasure yourself in that.
RE: "the iPhone 3G ships
RE: "the iPhone 3G ships without a dock."
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My son, my wife, and I have first generation iPhones. None of us has ever used the iPhone dock that came in the box.
Each of us uses the cable to sync iPhone. That is all that is needed. The docks sit in the original iPhone boxes in the closet.
The dock are not needed and actually ADD to costs and waste.
Apple is doing the right thing.
Don't include unnecessary stuff, please!
I agree. Apple shouldn't include stuff that everyone doesn't need. I have a ton of cables and power adapters that are iPhone compatible.
Don't make new ones for me, and don't force me to buy them by bundling them with the phone.
Instead, let the aftermarket thrive, which will let them become less expensive for those who NEED this stuff.
And here's betting they make
And here's betting they make sure the new phones won't even fit in the old docks, so you'll have to buy a new one...
®
They have. It was already
They have. It was already confirmed on the announce date. More cost... aargh!
The dock and all other Apple
The dock and all other Apple branded accessories are compatible with the first iPhone.
The plastic back
I was thinking that maybe the plastic back was necessary for the various antennas, to avoid shielding everything inside the iPhone and allow outside communication. That's what the current plastic cap does on the first gen iPhone.
Bit of both I think. GPS
Bit of both I think. GPS needs a really good antenna to work well, and the plastic back is cheaper to make.
That dock was the biggest
That dock was the biggest sham in the first gen iphone. Not only was it pretty useless...but unless you were meticulously careful inserting/removing the iphone from the dock, it would scratch your iphone! Employees at the apple stores would even advise you not to use the dock if you cared how your phone looked!
The dock is great - when I
The dock is great - when I leave for work I can pick up the iphone without thinking about it, and when I get back it drops in the dock easily.
I don't know what you mean about being careful.. try actually using one - you can drop it from a couple of inches above and it'll naturally fall into the dock.. it's really well designed.
Personally I really couldn't be doing with the hassle of trying to use an iphone without a dock. It'd be like the old ipod - having to replace the cable every 3 months because the continual plug/unplug breaks the connector.
if you use a skin or case
if you use a skin or case with your iphone (or ipod for that matter), a dock is more hassle than its worth.
docks are for haxors who make youtube videos of unlocking procedures ;P
actually i think the 3g
actually i think the 3g iphone dock will sell for $29.
its too bad they had to take it out of the package, but i'd rather pay 30 bucks instead of 50.
Saw this coming!
I totally saw this coming I even wrote an article about it a few months ago....
http://chrismward.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/apple-dont-let-me-down/
Dock debate
Some people wake up every AM in a ticked off mode & it goes downhill from there. Get a life. Apple has a price on the iPhone that MOST people are satisfied with. If that cost is not to your liking, don't buy or complain.
waste of ink
Another example of a writer needing a story.... My dock is still in the box, somewhere.... maybe I'l sell mine or $25.00 to anyone that wants a new dock for their 3G.
thanks for taking the time to
thanks for taking the time to read AND comment on this non story
firewire
Im still holding out for Apple to bring back firewire support in iTunes. I still have the cable, at this time its just for the charging adapter. I just thought this would fit in here, since the article was about 1st gen iPod accessories.
Speaking of the iPhone Dock...
Why in the world did Apple make the iPhone doc unique to the iPhone? They went to all of the trouble to go to the universal dock and then they totally ignored it on the iPhone. Using the universal dock would have allowed the iPhone to be docked with most cases installed.
This would really have helped with the Bluetooth Headset charging dock as well, because if you have a case on your iPhone, you can only use it to charge the headset and the dock is very convenient for this.
Okay, rant over. Thanks for listening (reading)!
The specialized iPhone dock
The specialized iPhone dock has special holes in it so that you can hear it ring when it is charging. The speaker/ringer is on the bottom of the phone. The universal dock would work except the ringer would be muffled. Then we would have another problem and people would be complaining about why Apple did not create a specialized dock so that you could hear it ring while it was charging.
crap article again
crap article again. next one due in minutes.